Meanwhile in Iraq the brutality reaches new lows

[Yorick]

Originally posted by Memnoch: Here's the latest atrocities - mosques being used as torture chambers by both Sunni and Shia, against the other. This is really sad. These guys are using religious places, and religious names, to commit common crimes like murder and kidnapping.

It's so so distressing Mario. The only thing that gives me peace when I read all that is that it may all end soon:


"When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

"You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

"When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

"But in those days, following that distress,
" 'the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'

"At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

Mark 13: 7-27

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

What happened to the scientific method? We were doing so well here.

It's hard for me to think about these things... I come at many issues from a standpoint of, what options are left people? Where are they coming from? What reduced them to this? The causes of the Columbine shootings, for example, were almost intuitive for me. But for there to be such a complete lack of humanity here... It just chills me to my core.

But then... Do people in that area have so many options? What can be done to fix it? Is there anything we could possibly do? When people cloak cruelty under the guise of religion, how do you put a stop to that without appearing to condemn a faith? So many layers...

[Yorick]

Originally posted by Illumina Drathiran'ar: When people cloak cruelty under the guise of religion, how do you put a stop to that without appearing to condemn a faith? So many layers...

I do not believe the hostage takers are doing the will of Allah. I believe Allah, even if Islam is 100% correct, would be horrified that a place of worship is used to kill ANYONE, let alone Muslims.

You put a stop to it, by using theology to fight theology, or to make it obvious that those who would use Gods name to achieve a political end, in contradiction of their stated beliefs, are in fact misrepresenting him and their kind.

Moderate Muslims need to speak out against radicals, and we need to give them airtime, media coverage and forum time, so that radicals may be convinced out of their position by the very scriptures they may selectively quote to justify their destruction.

Dialogue destroys an ideology, not supression and warfare.

[ 11-28-2006, 09:38 AM: Message edited by: Yorick ]